Lone Wolf
by llamafan
Summary: On her way to Mistral, Yang stops at a village the night it is attacked by her mothers tribe. Now she has to deal with the fallout of seeing the true nature of her mother while still trying to find Ruby.
1. Chapter 1: The Inn

Lone Wolf

Chapter 1: "The Inn"

The city of Herot was just beginning to settle down as the clock tower struck ten. The only real noise to speak of was coming from the town's inn as its drunken patrons interacted with one another. This was a typical night for Herot. It was a small town located about a day's drive outside of Mistral. The inn was always a place where both locals and travelers alike would have drinks and share stories to pass the time, especially now that communication between kingdoms was so scarce. The town was fairly safe, considering its size. Its walls were armed with lots of heavy turrets in case of a grimm attack, and there was usually a huntsman or two passing by. The citizen's had nothing to worry about, or so they thought.

Inside the inn, the latest traveler was just getting her key and ordering a drink, "Strawberry sunrise, please." Although she looked young, the bartender didn't question her. One look at her robotic arm told him that this girl was probably older than her age would dictate. Plus, she was hot and tipped well.

As Yang sat at the bar, she couldn't help but think back to the past year and the rollercoaster of emotions it had been. _Everything was fine. I was starting my second year at Beacon Academy, looking forward to the Vytal Festival Tournament. Then, suddenly, everything spiraled out of control. One second I was on top of the world, and the next, I had lost everything. I had no idea who that masked man was attacking Blake. Then I see him on TV months later. Apparently the man who cut off my arm was notorious for doing that sort of thing. Guess I should count myself lucky, or as lucky as I can be, considering. I'm not that mad about the arm. That I can handle. What kills me is that she just ran. No goodbye, no explanation, she just ran. I wish I knew where she was. I just just hope that she isn't going after him just so she can get herself..._ Yang stopped herself before she lost control. While she had managed to get back on her feet, due in no small part to her dad's help, she still had nightmares about that night, and she knew, deep down, that she always would. _Stay positive Yang. Everything is going to be fine. Just breathe and relax._

She tried to clear her mind and took a long sip from her drink. Turning in her chair, she decided to take a look around the tavern. Everyone was having a good time, talking and playing games while downing beer after beer. As she continued to scan the room, she noticed a table of faunus near the far wall of the room playing some card game while sharing stories. The sight reminded Yang of Blake and how much she missed her. As she tried to think back to some of her happy memories, one of the faunus got up and started walking towards her.

He was a medium built cat faunus wearing a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt under a black jacket. He had his eye on Yang from the moment she entered the room. In truth, the whole table had their eye on Yang, but she didn't really notice, being so preoccupied with her thoughts. The faunus smiled at her as he approached, making Yang blush. _I guess I must have been starring_ , she though.

"So I noticed you looking over in our direction. What's you're name gorgeous?" Yang blushed a little harder as she noticed that the rest of the table was watching the conversation intently.

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I was kinda starring wasn't I. I'm Yang." She smiled, trying to hold back her embarrassment.

"Oh, it's alright. You looked kinda lonely. Would you like to come join us?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Great, my name is Ben by the way. Ben Royal."

"Nice to meet you, Ben"

"The pleasure's all mine. Here, let me buy you a drink," he offered noticing her glass was empty. "Bartender, could you bring her another, please?" Ben asked. He pulled out some lien and placed it on the counter.

"My pleasure," the bartender smiled. Moments later he placed another strawberry sunrise next to Yang and took her dirty glass away.

"Thank you!" Yang said.

"No problem," the bartender call back as he went back to his job.

"Alright, are you ready to head over?" Ben asked, holding out his arm

"What a gentleman, haha," Yang laughed. She took his hand and got up. They walked over to the table of faunus and started making introductions.

"Hey guys, this is Yang. Yang this group of gentlemen is Forest, Sterling, Dodger, and Steel." Each faunus waived hello as Ben introduced them.

"Hey, nice to meet you all," Yang replied.

Ben's friends smiled and laughed as they returned to their game. "So what brings you way out here?" Ben asked.

"Oh, I'm just passing through," Yang replied. She didn't want to reveal too much to the stranger, despite how nice he seemed to be. "I'm on my way to visit some family in Mistral."

"Really? We're on our way to Mistral as well. Would you like to travel with us? We're going to be catching a train in the next town over."

"I'd love to, really, but I've been traveling on my motorcycle for about a month now. I don't want to just abandon it. Plus, I think it should only be another day or so of driving."

"Aww, oh well. I guess we'll just have to meet up in Mistral then. I'd give you my number, but that obviously won't do any good anymore."

"Yeah, too bad," Yang blushed. She was enjoying Ben's flattery but trying not to let it get to her head. She only had one goal in mind. Get to Mistral, find Ruby.

The group continued to play cards over the next couple hours. As midnight came and went, the group started to head to bed, one by one, until Yang and Ben were the only two left.

"I'm tired," Ben yawned.

"Me too," Yang replied.

"Want to have breakfast with us tomorrow morning before you head out?"

"Sure, I'd love too."

"Excellent! Maybe we can figure out a good place to meet up at in Mistral."

"Yeah that sounds nice."

"Well, I'm heading up."

"Yeah, me too." Yang got up and followed Ben upstairs to the inn's bedrooms. Once they got to Yang's room, Ben said goodnight and went on the his. Once she got inside, Yang's sleepiness finally started to overtake her. As she laid her head down, she thought to herself about how her journey had been going so far and hoped for a smooth drive tomorrow. _Everything should be fine from here. I'll find RWBY, make sure she's safe, apologize for shutting her out. Maybe I'll even talk to Ben some more._ She started smiling as she began to drift off. _Yeah, everything is going ot work out just fine._

Outside, everything was silent. All of the citizens had gone to bed, and the only people still up were the guards. However, unbeknownst to them, there was another. She stood at the top of the clock tower just watching, waiting for something. She wore a grimm skull as a mask, and her red eyes intimidatingly through the holes in it. Her hair had a great tail of feathers that made her look more like her namesake. Raven's appearance was certainly intimidating, and her presence usually brought death and destruction along with it.

Suddenly, a wolf cried out in the distance, unsettling the guards around the wall. Although they were ready for a grimm attack, they still didn't want to see a pack of beowolves come charging towards the wall. Raven looked up. "So nice of you to join us," she said, as if answering the wolf's call. She then calmly jumped off the clocktower and landed gracefully onto the sidewalk below. Walking into the streets, Raven drew her katana from her hip and swished the blade through the air, slicing a blood-red portal into existence. A moment later, dozens of masked warriors emerged, ready for blood. "Alright, let's go to work."

A/N: Hey, so this is my first story, so we'll see how it goes. I have a general idea in mind, but who knows how I'll get there. I don't really have a writing schedule, so I'm just going to publish whenever I can/feel like it. Sorry, I'm in the middle of college and don't always have a ton of free time. Hope you enjoy. Write a review if you want to. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Attack

Attack

The bandits moved swiftly and silently, fixated on taking out the gun turrets before anyone had any idea what was happening. They scattered through the night, pairing into teams of two. Each pair went directly to their desired target and started ascending the wall. The guards had no chance. All of their attention was focused on stoping grimm attacks, so they had no idea that a threat had just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the city.

It was over in mere seconds. One by one, the bandits slit the throat of every guard. The city was now completely undefended. Raven approached the Inn. She had her tribes undivided attention as she spun the dust chamber in her katana's sheath and pulled out the great, red sword. She then plunged the dust-infused blade into the inn door, engulfing the building in flames. Following their leader's example, the tribe let out a cheerful war cry and got to work igniting the rest of the city.

The thunderous voice of the tribe was enough to wake the lightest of sleepers. The first citizens climbed out of bed, smelling smoke and realizing what was happening. Unfortunately, for them, there was nothing anyone could do to save the city. Now, the only hope was for some sort of miracle, and the only goal was to escape with their lives.

As the villagers tried to escape from their burning houses, the bandits attacked mercilessly. Not wanting to leave anyone alive, they sliced through the scared citizens on sight. Some victims barely made it outside the door before blood splattered the the walls of their now burning home.

Yang woke up suddenly. The defining cries of panic had been enough to rouse her. She climbed out of bed and took a look out the window to see the citizens of Herot running in fear as the bandits hunted them down like dogs. Yang quickly put on her jacket and reached inside her bag. She pulled out the left gauntlet of Ember Celica. After arming herself, Yang took another look out the window and saw a bandit closing in on a small girl. He was laughing maliciously as he prepared to end the child's life. Yang dove out the window and flew right at the man. In a second, it was over. She fell right on top of the bandit and connected a left hook strait to his face while blasting a shotgun shell from Ember Celica. The blast sent the man flying into the wall. As he tried to get up, his aura flickered and died. The next moment, Yang was firing another shot into the bandits face, killing him.

Yang ran to the little girl and held her in a comforting embrace to try and calm her. "Do you have a name kid?" Yang asked, trying to smile while still realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"B Blossom," the child whimpered back.

"Ok Blossom. You need to get out of here. I'll get you to the gate and find someone to take you out of the city. After that, I need to get back to help the others, ok?"

"O o ok." At this point Blossom was scared beyond all rational thought when suddenly, a friendly voice came calling out.

"Yang is that you?"

"Ben? Yeah it's me."

"Yang, we gotta get outta here now."

"No, I'm going to stay and fight. I know I can save some of these people."

"What are you crazy? We're going to die out here."

"Look, take her. Her name is Blossom. Get her out of the city." Yang's eyes had turned a bright red as she got up and faced the ensuing battle.

Realizing that there was no dissuading her, Ben picked up the girl and sighed, "Alright, just stay safe."

"Don't worry about me. Get her to safety." Yang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and charged into the fray.

"Alright. Good luck Yang." Ben turned towards the gate and ran as fast as he could with Blossom in his arms.

The city was in total chaos by this point. There were bandits seemingly everywhere, and the citizens could only scream and run as they were chased down. Yang just started firing off blasts of dust toward every bandit she saw. Attracting their attention, five of the masked assailants grouped up to face her.

"Well, well, well, it looks like this one has some fight. This should be fun," one of them laughed. He was short and fat with scars decorating his entire body. He hung back as the other four pounced. Yang paired their attacks with shotgun blasts form her left arm and powerful jabs from her robotic right. She caught one of them in the face with a shotgun shell and another in the throat with her gold-painted cybernetic, knocking the wind out of him and nearly breaking his jugular. The other two managed to go connect some blows with their swords and axes, but Yang's aura was too tough. All they managed to do was make her stronger. Absorbing the hits, Yang charged back and unleashed a barrage of gun fire that sent them flying and killed the two who were already stunned. She stared menacingly into the final man's eyes, ready to beat him down with her fists. Before she could do so, the fat man turned tail and ran further into the fray to seek help, disappearing behind a thick, black cloud of smoke.

The scene had quieted down considerably. Most of the citizens had either escaped or died by this point. The bandits were scavenging the wreckage throughout the city in search of loot that would be useful to the tribe. Yang took another deep breath to slow herself. Remembering her father's advice, she tried to calm herself down in order to be more aware of her surroundings and think about what may happen next. She then walked into the smoke in search of more bandits.

Raven looked down at the four bodies that lay dead at her feet. _Fools, but brave fools._ She took a look around what was left of city, preparing to call her tribe back to her when suddenly, she heard a voice calling to her.

"Raven! Raven!" he cried out, running towards her.

"Sloth? What is it this time?" Raven was rolling her eyes from beneath her mask. Sloth was a coward, and he irritated Raven to the highest degree.

"There's a girl. She took out four of us by herself. She's too strong for me. We need your help!"

She sighed at Sloth's weakness. "Then you should have died. I'm not going to clean up your mess."

"Please Raven! You are the only one strong enough!"

"Fine, but know that I will remember this act of cowardice. Next time, I kill you myself."

She spoke softly, but the tone of her voice and the fire in her eyes sent a chill down Sloth's spine. He could barely contain his on fear as he stood there shaking.

"Get out of my sight" Raven spat. She hated cowards, and he was the worst of all.

"Y y yes Raven." The man stumbled over himself as he ran back into the rubble.

 _Pathetic. We never should have spared him._

Raven looked out in the direction that Sloth had come from. After a brief moment, she could finally make out a tall girl with long blond hair and a robotic arm. _What is she doing here?_

As Yang made her way through the village, a red and black figure slowly came into view. Wondering if it might be the person behind the attack, she sped up her pace until she could finally make out what it was. When she finally realized what she was seeing, she stopped dead in her tracks. In the middle of the street, a masked figure was standing over four dead bodies. Yang recognized the bodies as Ben's friends from the bar. She also realized the masked warrior was none other than Raven Branwen, her mother. Raven walked forward, stopping a few feet in front of her daughter. She then pulled off her mask, allowing Yang to see her face. "Yang? What are you doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3: Confrontations

Chapter 3: Confrontations

"W-WHY!" Yang Screamed. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!"

"Calm down," her mother said, sternly.

"CALM DOWN?! YOU JUST DESTROYED THE WHOLE CITY! YOU KILLED EVERYONE!"

"It had to be done."

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY JUSTIFY THIS!"

"I have my reasons. You would never understand. You're just as blind as your father."

"I can't believe this!" Yang was beginning to break down. She couldn't handle that her own mother was such a monster.

"Go Yang! Get out of here!"

"NO!" Yang screamed. I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Yang leaped at Raven, activating her semblance.

 _Foolish girl._ Raven blocked her daughters attack with no effort and sent her flying back with a swift strike from her sword. Yang hit the ground but got right back up. She charged a second and third time only to achieve the same results. Raven was quickly growing agitated.

"ENOUGH!" Raven shouted as Yang charged at her for the fourth time in a row. Do you really believe that you can just beat me to death simply because you're angry? No! You have no business in this fight, now leave before I have to hurt you!"

By this time, Yang's aura had been depleted. She slowly got back to her feet with considerable effort. "But why?" Her red eyes were filled with tears.

"I have my reasons."

"Is that what you said when you left me?"

 _I knew this was coming._ "Yes. I had my reasons for leaving you, and I have reasons for destroying this city now."

"Then tell me! Tell me right now because there is nothing that could possibly justify this!" Yang was starting to steady herself again.

"Sometimes bad things have to happen to good people."

"But this?! This is murder! You killed the entire town!"

"You're just like your father. You'll never understand. Leave."

"Yang is that you?" Ben's voice called out through the smoke.

"What!?" Yang called back.

As Ben appeared through the clearing, Raven's head turn directly to him. Her face contoured into a look of disgust, and she charged, without hesitation towards Ben. Yang could only look on as Raven closed the gap and made a diagonal slice down Ben's chest with her katana. His aura shattered upon impact, and blood began to spill out of him. He tried to get to his knees, but Raven kicked him back to the ground.

"No Royal!" she growled. "You die today!"

As Raven lifted her katana to finish Ben off, Yang ran forward in a final effort to save him. Raven was too quick, however. Just as Yang left her feet, Raven turned around and sliced her sword through the air. Yang flew through the air as a portal opened between the mother and daughter. Yang flew through the portal and landed on the grass in the middle of the forrest. Seeing his opportunity, Ben gathered all the strength he had left and leapt passed Raven, into the closing portal. Caught by surprise, Raven swung her sword down to try and stop him, but she missed by inches. "NO!" she screamed as the portal closed. "Damn't Yang! You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into!"

Raven turned to retrieve her mask and leave when she heard a friendly bark from behind her. She turned around to see a big, grey wolf sitting in the road. By the looks of him, the wolf had been there for a while and had probably watched the whole exchange.

"Timber," Raven addressed the wolf.

"Bark!" The wolf replied back.

"I'm not in the mood! In case you didn't see, Ben Royal got away again, and he's now with my daughter who has no clue who he is!"

"Bark!"

"Ok fine, what do you want?"

Raven watched as the wolf stood up and walked a few paces before transforming into a young man that was a just a few years older than her daughter.

Ben landed next to Yang as the portal closed behind him. "Aaarrrgh!" He was still beeding from his wound, and his energy was completely drained.

"Ben!?" Yang cried. "Ben, are you ok?"

"It's fine. I'll live." Ben was beginning to feel light-headed from blood loss.

Yang eyes finally started to adjust to the darkness, allowing her to see Ben's injury. Blood was pouring out of him at a considerable rate. Yang took off her jacket and started tearing it into strips. She then applied pressure to the wound with as much strength she could muster.

"Stay with me Ben! You're going to be alright!"

Timber Grey was about six feet tall and wore black pants and a black jacket that was accented in blue. He also donned a tattered blue cape around his shoulders. His attached to his belt, but his jacket blocked it from view.

He stood a few feet from Raven, staring at the four faunus she had slain before being confronted by Yang. "I've been tracking those four for months then you get to have all the fun of killing them before I even get to pry information out of them. Typical."

"Is that the only reason you're hear? Do you just want to whine about me taking away your kill?"

"I think it's fair to add that you let their leader escape as well."

This annoyed Raven. "Do you think I did that on purpose!? My daughter was being foolish, and I got distracted."

"Oh I know. All I want to know is where they landed."

"I'm not sure about specifics. I had to think quickly. They should be somewhere in the forrest though."

"Well that's not ideal, but it could be worse." Timber turned to leave.

"Wait." Raven almost had a hint of concern in her voice, something Timber had never heard before from the hardened warrior. He was curious what could cause such a change in Raven.

"I thought you didn't want to talk," he said, raising his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Look, that man has my daughter. He may be injured, but he'll recover. We both know he can keep up an innocent victim routine long enough to recover. When he does, he'll kill her, or worse, lead her to his boss. I can't stand the thought of such a weak coward killing my own blood with such honor-less tactics. It sickens me."

"Then what are you suggesting, Raven."

"You don't let him recover. Before I opened the portal I thought about the forrest north of here. If you go that direction, you can catch his scent. You should only be a day behind at most, and once you find him, you get all the information you need and kill him like the rat he is."

"I see this is important to you."

"It is." The look in Raven's eyes was dangerous. She always looked terrifying when angry, but this was something else entirely.

"Come with me."

"I wish I could, but you know the tribe won't allow it. If I go save Yang again, they will denounce me as leader and hunt her down. I'd be signing her death warrant."

"Alright. I'll hunt him down, then bring your daughter to back to you"

"No"

"No?"

"Kill Royal. Then, take Yang to Mistral. Leave her with Qrow."

"Are you sure? You know Qrow. He's..."

"It's for the best." Raven interrupted.

"Ok. I'll let you know when it's done then."

"Thank you."

Timber turned to leave. As he walked through the smoke, he transformed back into a wolf and ran off into the night.

Raven stood there for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Yang, you'll never understand. It's all for the best. I just wish you could understand. You and Tai. She put her mask back over her face and called out for the tribe to return. As the bandits gathered around, she made one final portal, and silently, they all disappeared through it as the city continued to burn.

As Yang placed another strip of cloth over Ben's wound, the blood began to slow. "Stay with me Ben."

"Uuuggghh. Yang," he moaned.

"Yes Ben, what is it?"

"Thank you."

"It's alright Ben. You're going to be ok."

"Yeah."

The blood flow had finally stopped, allowing Yang to finally ease off on the pressure. _He's stable. Finally._ Yang sat back against a tree, exhausted from all that had happened. As she looked up, she saw that the sun was getting ready to rise. _Morning already. I'm tired._ Too tired to continue, Yang fell asleep sitting up, and she didn't wake up until sunset the next day.

A/N: So Timber is an OC of mine i've had in my head for a while. I'll give a little backstory in later chapters. Just know he is based on the big bad wolf. Thanks for reading. Message and review if you're so inclined. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4: The Day After

Chapter 4: The Day After

Yang's eyes opened and she rolled over. Her body had no desire to move and was sore all over from the craziness of the night before. She was still trying to make out what exactly happened. _My mother burned down a city. The mother I've been looking for my entire life burned down a city. Qrow said she was dangerous, but I had no idea she would do something like this. So many people dead. So many hurt. How could someone do something like that. I tried to save some of them, but there were just too many. And Blossom. What happened to her. I sent her with Ben, and then..._ Yang sat up and looked at Ben, who was still laying there. She was angry now. _I told him take her somewhere safe, but he came for me. What happened to her?_ She shook Ben awake.

"Wh-What? What's going on? What? Yang?"

"What happened to Blossom?" she asked, sternly.

"What?"

"Blossom. The little girl with green eyes. I told you to get her to safety, and then, you end up back in town without her. Where is she?"

"Wh-what? Bl-Blossom?" he answered, clearly confused as he was trying to remember what happened the other night. "Give me a second. My memory's a little fuzzy."

"No, tell me now!"

"Ok, hold on." He started to retrace his steps. "Ok, I saw you. You were saving the girl. Then, you told me to get her to safety. Then... Oh shit..." Ben trailed off as he suddenly remembered what had happened.

"Wh-What happened?" asked Yang, fearing the worst.

"I'm so sorry." Ben had a look of sheer terror on his face. "We were almost at the gate what one of the bandits blind-sided me. All the sudden, three of me were on me. I tried my best to protect her, but there were too many. I barely fought them off me. As soon as I did, they..." He couldn't go on.

"Oh, no!" Yang was on the verge of tears. "She was so young. Why would they be so cruel?"

"I'm sorry Yang." Ben rolled over to Yang and put his arm around her. She turned into him and embraced him in a warm hug as she cried on his shoulder. "Sorry."

"Why?"

 _Lies._

Timber was hiding in the trees watching as Ben and Yang held each other. _I saw what you did. Now you're trying pass yourself off as the hero. Man I hate that guy._ Timber knew exactly what happened to Blossom. He had watched the whole thing go down. After seeing the flames from the forrest, Timber made a mad dash to the city in his wolf form. He arrived a a matter of minutes. Upon arriving at the gate, the wolf sat down and watched as everyone ran for their lives. What peeked his interest, however, was the blonde teen trying to console the young girl. Then he saw Ben. After the girl talked to Ben, she ran off. Ben went the other way toward the gate with the little girl in tow. The fact of the matter was that no one confronted Ben. There was no three-on-one fight, and the bandits never touched the little girl. What really happened was much worse.

Timber followed Ben the whole night as he made his way back into the city. As Timber expected, Ben was going to help his team with Raven, but he was too late. By the time Ben got there, Raven had already taken care of them. _The fools really thought they could take her on by themselves. Even if Ben was with them, they still would have died._

Timber continued to watch as Ben finally made his way to Raven, only to see the blonde charge her time and time again. Then, Raven saw Ben, and things went about the way one would think. She charged, she sliced, he wound up bleeding on the ground. If the blonde hadn't been there, Ben would be dead, and Timber wouldn't be sitting in a tree waiting for a chance to strike. Unfortunately, Ben escaped, and Timber had to hunt him down all over again.

In all reality, finding Ben had been pretty easy. As soon as Timber walked out of the gate, he changed to his wolf form and dialed in on Ben's scent. Since Timber had been tracking him for so long, getting a lock on the scent came quickly. In truth, Raven's portal didn't send them as far away as she thought. They were actually only a couple miles North of the city. When Timber found them, Yang was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Timber knew that the wounds were not too serious, but he couldn't help but be amused by the sight. _She was just so scared. If only she knew she was saving a murderer. Then she may have just let him bleed out._ Timber had decided to watch the two of them for a day or two before confronting Ben so that he could gather a little more information on what Yang was like and how Ben would try to manipulate her. Also, he wasn't sure how Yang would react to him killing Ben. _That might make things a little more complicated._

Yang got to her feet to walk around. "I'm going to go get some wood for a fire. Will you be ok by yourself?"

"Yeah I'll be fine," Timber grunted.

"Ok, I'll be back in a few minutes."

As soon as yang was gone, Ben looked up to the sky and made a sort of bird call. Moments later, a small owl owl came down with a note attached. Ben quickly untied the note and read it to himself. Then he scribbled down a reply and sent the bird on it's way. He took a final look around and laid back down with a look of relief on his face. _Good, she didn't see that._ He didn't want Yang asking questions. _Operation's not a complete bust, yet._

A few minutes, Yang returned with a pile of firewood. "Did you miss me?" she asked, smiling?

"Of course I did," he replied with a big grin on his face.

Seeing the bird take flight, Timber only had one thought in mind. _Kill bird, read letter. If I can get that message, I should be able to smooth things over with the girl a little easier._ He jumped silently from tree to tree until he got into the clearing. In the distance, he saw the bird flying off into the sunset.

Timber closed his eyes and focused on the air around him. A blue glow formed around his body as the air started rotating around him like a tornado, gaining speed. Then, he made the wind flow all the way around the bird, turn back, and crash into it, sending the bird flying back towards him. The bird was caught completely by surprise, of course. The shock of the hit knocked the bird out of the sky, and it fell hundreds of feet to the ground below.

Timber ran to the bird to made sure it was dead. He then untied the note from the birds leg and read it to himself. _Exactly as I expected._ Timber let a smile come across his face as he made his way back to his hiding spot. _Tomorrow is going to be a fun day._

As the campfire roared, so did Yang's stomach. She hadn't eaten since the inn and was now starving. However, she was in no condition to search through the woods for food. She would have to wait for morning. "We need to get moving tomorrow."

"I know. I should be good to walk around by then," Ben replied.

"So, do you have any idea where Mistral is from here?"

"Not a clue. Honestly, I have no idea where that portal could've taken us."

At the mention of Raven's portal, Yang thought back the the night before. "How did you know that woman?" Yang had no desire to tell Ben that Raven was her mom if she didn't have to.

"What? Oh right. I've seen her tribe before. They burned down my village."

"Oh. Sorry." Yang felt bad for Ben. After seeing the destruction from the other night, it was hard not to.

"Did you know her?" Ben asked.

Yang hesitated for a moment. "No," she lied. _Nobody needs to know about that. Not now._

"Well, her name is Raven, and she leads the Blackbird Tribe. They're basically a bunch of bandits that go around taking whatever they want and killing anyone in their way. Despicable group of people if you ask me.

"Yeah... Horrible." Yang went silent for a while.

 _So she is the leader. Why? Did she leave me to lead them? Was it them over me? Did Qrow know? Of course he knows. He was the one who told me how dangerous she is. II'll have to ask him next time I see him. Then maybe I can get some answers, assuming he isn't in one of those, "I don't feel like answering you in a specific way that makes sense" kind of moods. Although, he does owe me after this._

"Yang, you ok?"

"Yeah I'm Fine," she answered as she came back to reality. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Yeah, same here."

Yang rolled over and thought about her mother and what she wanted know about her. She then let out a yawn and closed her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: The Big Bad Wolf

Chapter 5: The Big Bad Wolf

When Yang woke up, the sun had just come up over the horizon. She got up, stretched, and walked around a little. The fire was still going from last night, so she decided to sit next to it and get some warmth. Soon after, Ben woke up and did the same.

"We've got to get moving today," Yang said.

"Yeah, and we need to find some food. I'm starving."

"Well, I guess we should go then. Maybe we'll find something in the woods. Which direction do you think we should go?"

"Hmm." Ben looked around before pointing his finger in a direction. "Let's go with that way."

"Ok, works for me. Let's go." They set off silently into the forrest.

Timber had woken up about half an hour before Yang. As he waited for the two of them to stir, he went over the plan in his head. _I'll follow them for a few miles. Then, when the time feels right, I'll come out striking hard and fast. He'll never know what hit him. If all goes well, I should be able to incapacitate him and get all the information I need._

As Yang and Ben started to leave their campsite, Timber jumped out of the tree and turned back into his wolf form. _Show time!_

"These trees just seem to go on forever," Yang said. It was around noon, and they still had not eaten.

"I know what you mean. I could really use some food right about now."

"Maybe we should stop here and look around for something to eat."

"I agree."

The two of them split up and went to look for food, being careful not to stray too far away from each other. As Yang wandered through the trees, she found a berry bush. _It's not much, but its better than nothing._ She picked a couple off of the bush and ate them. _Not bad._ She continued to pick berries for a little while until she stopped, sensing a nearby presence.

She looked around and saw a big, grey wolf sitting in the clearing, watching her with interest. Yang didn't know what to think of this. _Is it friendly?_ The wolf stood up and walked over to her. His eyes seemed friendly enough, and once he made his way to Yang, he sat back down and just looked at her.

"Bark," the wolf said with a smile on it's face.

"Well, hello to you too," Yang laughed back, determining the wolf was friendly. "You wouldn't happen to know where some rabbits are would you? I could really use some meat."

"Bark!"

"Yeah I figured as much." She looked down at the berries that she had gathered, "Well, this will have to do. I've got to get back to Ben."

As Yang turned to walk away, the wolf stood back up and followed her. "Oh, so you want to come with me then? Ok, that's fine." Yang found the wolf adorable and couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. _So I've made friends with a savage beast._

When she made it back to where she and Ben split up, she called out, "Ben, are you on you're way back yet."

"Yeah, I'm over here," he called back.

Yang walked over to where Ben was. "Did you find anything?"

"Not really, what about you?" he asked, not really looking at her.

"Well I found some berries.

"Oh yeah, that's good."

"Yeah, I also made a new friend."

"What?" he asked, turning around. Upon seeing the wolf, Ben immediately recognized the canine as none other than Timber Grey. "Oh, shit!"

The wolf barred his teeth before flying at Ben. In midair, the wolf transformed into a man drawing a collapsable sword from his belt.

It was over in seconds. Timber landed a strike with his sword in the same place Raven had the previous night. Ben flew back, hitting a tree. His aura flickered and died upon impact, and his wound began to seep out more blood. Timber followed his strike by jumping towards Ben and stabbing his sword through Ben's chest and pinned him to the tree.

"Ben Royal!" he growled. "I've been waiting so long for this!"

Yang was stunned at what had just happened. _Wait! The wolf was a man! How is that possible? Why is he attacking Ben? What is going on?_ She finally managed to gather herself and attacked Timber, trying to land some punches to his face.

Timber blocked her attacks easily. Yang still hadn't completely recovered form her encounter with Raven, so she simply didn't have the energy to compete with Timber. He knocked her to the ground and turned back to Ben. "Here's how this is going to work. You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I am going to kill you in the most brutal way possible. No one is going to save you, and I'm not showing any mercy."

Yang got back up and tried to fight Timber again. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she yelled as he swung her fist.

Timber blocked her again and sent her back to the ground. "Stop." he said calmly. "You have no idea who this guy is and what he is capable of." He then turned back to Ben. "Now, answer my questions or die. Where is Adam Taurus?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Ben spat out.

Yang looked at Ben confused. _Wait, Adam Taurus? Isn't that the guy who cut my arm off? Is this guy saying Ben is part of the White Fang?_

"Why do you lie to me Ben?" Timber asked, punching Ben in the gut. "Let's try this again. Where is Adam, and what is he planning? I know you've been in contact with him. Tell me what I want to know right now."

Ben regained his breath before answering. "I told you. I don't know what you're talking about or who this Adam is."

"Ok, so we're playing dumb are we? Well fortunately, I've been watching you for the last few weeks. I watched you and your little team go in and out of a the White Fang camp, not too far from here. I saw you send that little letter to Adam while Blondie here was getting firewood. Nice trick with the little bird call, by the way. However, you failed to realize the importance of coding your messages. You see, I intercepted your note, and now, I'm going to read it aloud for us all to hear. I'm looking forward to it. What about you Blondie?" he asked Yang.

Yang could barely comprehend what was happening anymore. _Is this why my mom wanted him dead? Who is Ben? What is doing with me?_ "What is this Ben?" she asked, confused.

"No-Nothing! This-this guy is crazy!"

"Oh, you wish I was crazy. So, how about it Blondie? Want to hear some damning evidence?"

All Yang could manage to say was "O-ok..."

"Excellent!" He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, cleared his throat, and began to read the letter aloud.

"Adam, Herot was a disaster. The Blackbirds showed up in the middle of the night and burned down the city. Raven killed my whole team, and now I am on the run. Not all is lost, though. I found a blonde girl that fits the description of the girl you want to deal with. She has the red eyes you talked about, and she has a robotic arm. I'm fairly positive she's the one. I managed to get her out of the city with me, and now I am leading her to the camp North of Herot. Once I deliver her, the soldiers there can hold her until you arrive. Do you want me to carry on with the plan on my own, or do you want me to get some reinforcements first. I'll stay at the camp until your response. Signed Ben." Timber finished the letter and just glared at Ben. "No idea what I'm talking about huh?"

Yang was in shock. "I-I-I trusted you! I helped you out, and you were going to stab me in the back! How could you do such a thing?!"

"I hate you," Ben spat at Timber. "I really hate you."

"Yeah, I know. I hate you more. Now answer my questions, or I kill you. Where is Adam, and what is he planning?"

"Fine. He's in Managerie. Don't ask me what he's planning because I don't know. He just has me trying to keep tabs on Raven. A lot of good that did me."

"See, doesn't that feel good?"

"Bite me!"

"No, I've got something better in mind for you."

Yang had shut down at this point. She was barely listening the two men anymore.

"You said you'd set me free."

"Yeah I did didn't I? However, I think I'm going to let Blondie decide your fate. I think she's earned it. Blondie, what do you think?"

Yang looked at Timber with almost no emotion. "I don't know. I don't care anymore. I just want to know why people keep stabbing me in the back. Why is this wold so cruel."

"Wake up Yang!" Ben growled. "You think you're the good guy? You're not. We are fighting for a revolution. The human race needs to be exterminated and we are going to do it. So keep fighting your little battles that don't even matter. In the end, Adam will kill you all, and the White Fang will rule this world."

"Shut up." Timber punched Ben in the gut again.

"Ben's words had angered Yang all over again. "You know what? Just kill him. If he's fine with killing everyone else, then he should die himself."

"Well said, Blondie." Timber reached for his sword and pressed a button on the hilt. Suddenly, fire erupted from the blade, engulfing Ben in flames. Timber pulled his sword out of the tree and let the burning Ben drop to the ground.

"AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH! WWWWHHHHHYYYYYY!" he screamed as his skin continued to burn.

Timber walked to Yang's side. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time. The names Timber by the way, Timber Grey."

"What?" She couldn't take her eyes off the burning man. "Oh, I'm, I'm Yang."

"Well Yang, it's good to meet you. Your mom wanted me to take you to Mistral and leave you with your Uncle Qrow. Are you ok with that?"

"What Uncle Qrow? How do you know him? Who are you?"

"Hahaha. All in good time, Yang. We can talk about it on the road. Come on, let's go."

The two of them turned to leave. Ben's body had gone limp as the flames died down. With one last look at the dead faunus, Yang turned her head towards Timber. "Yeah. Let's go."

A/N: So there's that chapter. I've had that scene in my head for a while. I won't be able to write anything over the next few days, so I wanted to get this one out today. Hope you enjoyed. Review if you want. Thanks

P.S. To answer a question from Sasuke Trollchiha. Eventually i would love to bring Ruby into this. I think it would be awesome!


	6. Chapter 6: On the Road Again

Chapter 6: On the Road Again

Yang and Timber walked silently together, the only interruption being Yangs growling stomach. The berries were long gone, and now she needed food.

"Hungry?" Timber asked.

"You could say that," replied Yang. She was still uncomfortable with the strange man's presence.

"Well, how about we stop here, and I'll go hunt down some food. I think I smell some animals close by."

"That would be nice," she answered half-heartedly.

"Alright. Just build a fire while I'm gone." He turned around, turned into a wolf, and shot off into the woods.

"Ok," she replied, more to herself. "I'll just stay here and build a fire."

Yang set to work looking for wood and thought to herself. _Who is this guy? I mean, he just killed Ben, but Ben wasn't who he said he was. Somehow my mom is involved, but my mom burned down a village. Who can I trust? Why can't I just have a normal trip to Mistral?_

Yang continued to collect wood until she felt she had enough for a fire. She then built it up and started the fire with some spare dust. _I guess I need to get to know him. Although part of me wants to just run away first chance I get. But Uncle Qrow. How does he know Qrow? Who is this guy?_

Yang laid back in frustration and just listened to the fire, trying to calm herself down. She closed her eyes and tried thinking of better things when she heard Timber coming back, dragging a small deer behind him.

"Hey, I found some food."

Yang opened her eyes to see the animal that Timber had brought back. "Wow, thats more than I was expecting."

"Yeah, I figured you were hungry so why not."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Timber took out a small dagger and began skinning the deer and cutting some good chunks of meat for them to eat. "So, what's up with you?"

"Excuse me?" Yang asked confused.

"Well, it's going to take us a few days to get to mistral from here, and neither of us really know anything about the other. We may as well try to get to know each other a little."

"What did Raven not tell you about me?"

"No, not really," Timber admitted. "All she told me was you were her daughter. The important part to her was that I get Ben away from you and get you to Mistral. She's not really the type to tell you more than you need to know."

"Oh..." Yang trailed off. Timber clearly knew quite a bit about her mother and may even be willing to answer her questions. _But do I really want to know?_

"So," she hesitated. "You know my mom?"

"You want to know about her I take it," he replied knowingly.

"Well..."

"I've known her most of my life. So yeah, I know your mom about as well as anyone, except maybe Qrow. I used to be in the bandit tribe you saw attack Herot."

"Why did she do it?" Yang interrupted. "Why did she kill those people?"

"Honestly Yang, I don't know. She usually has some reason for what she does, but she never tells anyone. I usually find out her reasoning months later when I see the results for myself."

"Are you saying she was right?" Yang was quickly getting frustrated, but she didn't really know why.

"No, Raven is complicated and definitely dangerous. There's a reason I left the tribe, and there's a reason I keep in contact with her. While I don't share her ideals, I do share some of her enemies. I'm pretty sure you do too."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Ben's message suggests that Adam is after you. I'm sure you're not his main target, but he knows who you are. I'm guessing you had a run in with him."

Yang looked to her prosthetic in remembrance of that night. "Yeah... We met."

"Well, let's just say that I have more than enough reason to want him dead, and Raven has her own reasons for fighting him." Timber looked into Yang's eyes, seeing that she still had her doubts. "Look, I'm not telling you that Raven's a good person. Hell, I'm not exactly innocent. I did just light a guy on fire. But, I am telling you that we do share some common enemies, and if you ever want to get passed someone as powerful as Adam, you're going to need some help. I'm sure you know how strong he is, and he isn't even the top of the food chain. So what do you say, want to try to trust me?"

"I-I don't know," admitted Yang. "I've just been hurt too many times."

"Understandable. However, if you change your mind, just know that I'm more than willing to help if you need it."

"Thanks." They sat there in silence as the meat finished cooking. The two of them then ate, packed up some of the leftover meat, and made their way back into the woods. Yang though to herself again but with a new prospective. I don't trust him, but he seems honest. I guess I don't have much of a choice though. I'm just going to have to be on guard. Hopefully everything will work out."

On the other side, Timber was also deep in thought. _What are you planning, Raven? What are you planning?_

Qrow was at a bar in Mistral having a drink when the bar maiden made her way over to her. She was carrying a glass of whisky with her when she stopped at his table. Before she opened her mouth, Qrow talked for her. "Let me guess, woman, upstairs, red eyes, bottom shelf, right?"

"Yeah pretty much," she laughed.

"Great," Qrow grumbled, standing up.

"I don't think she likes you either."

"No, she sure doesn't."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I like you."

"Do you now?"

"Oh yeah," she smiled. She then leaned in a little closer and lowered her voice. "I get off at twelve."

"Perfect," Qrow laughed as he turned to leave. _Too bad she's going to try and ruin this for me. I could use a fun night._

Qrow made it to the top of the stairs and saw Raven sitting in the corner in shadow. "So Sis, what do you want this time?"

"Brother," she said impatiently. "You know why I'm here."

"I suppose I do," he sighed sitting down. "Alright, let's get this over with."

A/N: Sorry for the delayed post and short chapter. I've been out of town and will be going out of town again tomorrow. I am getting some pretty good ideas on what I can put into the story though and look forward to exploring those ideas. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7: Making Plans

Chapter 7: Making Plans

"So another village destroyed huh?"

"Yeah..."

"And you feel the need to tell me about it?"

"Yeah..."

"So who are we dealing with now? You wouldn't be here if you didn't run into someone important."

"It's not like that." Raven looked down, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Really? Why do I find that hard to believe? Are you just saying high this time?"

"No... It's... It's..."

"Come on." Qrow was quickly growing impatient. It had been a long day and he didn't feel like having his sister mess with him again.

"It's Yang," she finally burst out. "Yang was there."

Qrow nearly choked on his whiskey. "Wait, what? Why was Yang there? What the hell did you do?" Qruw wasn't sure what he was feeling at this moment. Was it concern, anger, general shock? Probably a mix of all three and then some.

"N-nothing."

"Don't lie. There's no way that reunion was uneventful."

"Ok, fine. She saw me. She attacked." Raven was starting to regain her composure. "She didn't understand. She just lashed out like a teenage girl."

"No shit! She sees you killing a bunch of people! What the hell did you expect?" Qrow's sudden intensity startled Raven a bit"

"I don't know. Maybe if she could just listen instead of immediately trying to beat me to death."

"What did you do?" Qrow growled.

"I sent her away."

"What?

"I sent her through a portal. She's probably somewhere in the woods still."

"That's not the whole story."

"No."

"Explain."

"The target I was after may have followed her through the portal."

"Who?"

"Ben."

"I swear if he hurts her, I will murder you and the whole damn tribe." At this point, Qrow was visibly shaking with anger.

"Relax, I sent Timber to take care of the situation."

"Oh, perfect," Qrow said sarcastically. "You sent a merciless killer after another merciless killer."

"You know he won't do anything to her. That's not his way."

"He'd better not."

"He won't. Relax brother."

Qrow brought the whiskey to his moth and drained the whole glass. "I don't like this."

"I know. That's why I told you."

"Is that all."

"Yeah."

"Then I suggest you get back. Bad idea to leave your murder tribe alone too long." Qrow got up and walked back to the bar.

"Yeah," she said more to herself. "I guess so." Raven got up and walked out of the bar. After clearing the doorway, she drew her sword, cut a portal into existence, and disappeared.

Back in the bar, Qrow had just powered through another whiskey, and turned to leave. As he headed to the door, the bar maiden approached him again. "So, how did it go?" she asked smiling.

"About as bad as I figured" Qrow replied chuckling. "Maybe a little worse."

"Yeah it seemed like you two were having quite the conversation."

"You could say that."

"So, you still good for twelve?" she winked at him.

"As much as I want to, I have to head out early tomorrow to deal with something."

"Aww, thats no fun."

"No it isn't."

"Well, if you find yourself back in town, come see me. I promise you won't regret it."

"I'm sure I won't. Haha." Qrow continued his way out of the bar, turned into his bird form, and flew back to the hotel. As he reached the window to his room, he turned back into his normal self and waited for his niece to return. _Hopefully they don't stay out too late._ As if on cue, the door opened and Ruby walked in.

"Hi Uncle Qrow." She walked over to her bed and sat down.

"Hey kiddo."

"So how was the bar?"

"Not great kid. But I did learn some things."

"What did you find out?" Ruby leaned in closer with anticipation.

"Well, Yang is on her way. Apparently she's somewhere in the middle of a forrest outside mistral. I'm going to go find her tomorrow. I need you kids to stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Try and get any information you can while you're at it."

"Wait, why is Yang's in a forrest? What happened?" Ruby was clearly confused by this information.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself. All I know is that she was in Herot when it fell."

"What! Is she ok?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Relax kid. She's not alone. Even if she was, she can take car of herself."

"Ok. I'm coming with you to find her."

"No kid. I'll find her much faster on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely kid," her uncle smiled. "A pipsqueak like you will only slow me down."

"Ha Ha," she left sarcastically.

"Alright, I'm going to bed. Get some sleep kid. I'll see you in the morning before I head off."

"Ok. Goodnight Uncle Qrow."

"Goodnight Ruby."

"How far away are we?"

"From Mistral? Probably about four days, three if we really book it. Although, I'm sure we'll run into something at some point. I'd say plan on five." Yang and Timber had just woken up. Their camp was pretty much identical to their last one. A couple of makeshift beds in the middle of the woods with a fire in between them.

"I'm just tired of this forrest. I was really hoping to get there a couple days ago," Yang said.

"I'm sure. Unfortunately, I know for a fact that there is a White Fang camp somewhere between here and there if my memory is correct. That may delay us." Timber was checking his gear before getting ready to leave.

"How do you know that?"

"Let's just say I make it a priority to know these type of things."

"Ok."

"Ready to head out?"

"Yeah, lets go." Yang grabbed her bag and got to her feet. The two then started walking towards Mistral in relative silence.

After a few hours of walking, Timber started noticing signs the trees. "Hey, hold up"

"What's going on?" Yang asked.

"Nothing yet." Timber was investigating a tree that had some seemingly random slashes in the trunk. "I think we are quickly coming up on the White Fang camp. You see how this tree has these slashes in it?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well there's three on this one. There was one with four about a mile back. In a mile, there will be one with two."

"How do you know its not just some grimm?"

"Well, to be honest, it could be. However, I've seen enough of these to think otherwise. These things aren't supposed to be easy to spot. You really have to look."

"Ok. So if this is a White Fang camp, what should we do."

"Well, I'd say we should probably try to stay undiscovered. They usually only patrol about a mile or so around the camp. However, If you want to try and take it out, it would be pretty fun." Timber was smiling at Yang. He really liked the idea of fighing a bunch of extremists.

"Do you think the two of us could seriously take out the whole camp? You do know there are only two of us right?" Yang was smiling now too. As much as she doubted they could take on that number of opponents, she couldn't deny that it was tempting.

"True enough. However, if we can keep the element of surprise, then we can probably cause enough havoc to keep them off balance and take them out. We'd need to do some recon to see about how many there are." Timber was getting deeper and deeper in thought as he talked about it.

"Or we could attack at nigh with as much speed as possible."

"Hmm... That could work as long as there aren't too many high ranking members."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most White Fang members aren't really that powerful. Their strength tends to be in numbers. However, the lieutenants do tend to be pretty strong in their own right. How about I go on ahead and see what we're working with. We can then hit the camp later tonight."

"Sounds good."

"Alright," Timber said, turing around. "I'll see you in a little bit." As Timber walked away, he transformed into his wolf form and ran off toward the camp.

A/N

So here's another chapter. It's been a really long time. Sorry about that. Kinda lost interest while dealing with a lot of stuff. Still not sure where I'm taking this, so we'll just see how it goes. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading. Later.


	8. Chapter 8: Revelations

Chapter 8: Revelations

Qrow and the others woke up early the next morning to plan for the day. As everyone was gathered around a table eating breakfast, Qrow went over what he wanted everyone to do. "Ren, Nora, I want you two to take a look around the school grounds to see if you see anything off. I can't help but be nervous about this place. Ruby, Juan, Oscar, I want you three to go around the main town. Look for information, but if you find some supplies we could use, go ahead and stock up. We're going to need them eventually. I'm going to go out and look for Yang. Be back at the hotel before nightfall. I'll meet you then. Understood?"

"Yeah," they all said more or less together.

"Good. If something goes wrong, try to get back to the inn as fast as you can. Don't be a hero," he said looking at Ruby.

"What?" she replied.

"Oh don't even start," Qrow said in a joking manner. "I know you too well. Besides, I need you to look after Oscar." Everyone turned and looked at the newcomer. Oscar looked around the group, smiled nervously, then looked away.

Since Oscar had joined the group, team RNJR had been very curious about him. All Qrow said was that he was a friend. Although, something certainly did seem off about him. Almost as though he wasn't sure what he was doing himself. That's probably because he didn't. As much as Ozpin's voice lead him on, it never divulged much information, much to Oscars annoyance. Now he was in a group of teenage warriors lead by an old drunk guy. To say he was out of his element would be an understatement. He was treated fairly nicely, but he still felt like an outsiders. The two girls loved to subject him to nonstop questions and good natured teasing. The guys tended to be quieter. Ren would try to keep Nora from prying too much into his life, but Juan just kind of gave him questioning looks. It was pretty obvious that the blond didn't completely trust the new addition. However, since Qrow vouched for Oscar, he kept his apprehensions to himself.

Qrow did notice the way Juan acted around Oscar. He also noticed Oscar's nervousness as a whole. That is why he sent the three together. He hoped that Ruby's ever cheerful personality could break the new kid out of his shell while getting Juan to ease up. _I'm going to need them trusting him before telling them about his secret._

"Anyway," Qrow continued, "once I get back, we can go over what we're going to say to Lionheart. I need to get going. I'll see you all later tonight." Qrow got up from the table and walked out of the inn. Soon after passing the city's main gate, he transformed into bird form and flew off toward the forrest.

It took only a few minutes for Timber to find the White Fang's camp. In the middle of a small clearing was a large tent that no doubt functioned as a sort of command station. Around that tent, in-between the trees stood about ten to fifteen other tents. _Probaby about 20 enemies max. Shouldn't be too hard._ Hiding in the brush, the wolf did his best to spot out the leader. After a brief search, Timber determined he was probably in the central tent. He needed a way to draw the leader out. Walking up to the tent would draw too much attention even when in wolf form. Most people feared the creature and would probably attempt to kill on sight. No, he needed to get them to come out. _Only one way to do it._

Ggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrwwwwwwwwwwlllllllllllllllllllll!

The wolf let out the loudest, nastiest growl he could manage in an attempt to mimic a large beowulf. Maybe not the best impression, but it was scary enough to do the job. As if on cue, five faunus came out of the tent, all branding weapons. Four of them were nothing special, but the fifth was clearly a lieutenant. He stood nearly seven feet tall and had a much fancier grimm mast than the other members. _Gotcha!_ The wolf turned from his hiding spot and started making his way back to Yang. As he walked away, he hear the lieutenant giving out orders to his subordinates.

"Spread out! If there is one grimm in the area, there will likely be more."

 _Oh, this is going to be fun!_

Not far away, Yang was busy psyching herself up for the impending battle. _Left, Right, Kick, Uppercut!_ Although she was far from going all out, these basic movements were enough to get the blood flowing. _Left, Right, Left, Right, YA!_ After a while, she decided to stop to preserve her strength. Sitting on a nearby stump, she reached into her backpack, pulled out a water bottle, and took a nice, long drink. "AAAHHHHH." Now she felt ready.

"Don't wear yourself out no. I can't have you tiring out in the middle of the fight. Could get us killed," Timbers voice laughed.

Yang sat up and looked around. Timber had just come out of the trees. "And how long have you been watching me?" she asked with just a hint of annoyance.

"Not that long," he snorted.

"Yeah right," Yang said, grinning while rolling her eyes.

"You ready to go."

"Yeah. What's the plan?"

"Well there's about twenty of them at most, and the forrest is going to give us plenty of cover. We should be able to take them out no problem."

"Ok, so we just run in guns blazing?"

"We certainly could. Although I'm not the biggest fan of that approach."

"So what then, wait for night and sneak up on them?"

"No, I'm going to distract them. I want to hide somewhere. Once all eyes are on me, open fire. When they all turn on you, I'll attack."

"Ok works for me."

"Good," Timber said, changing into his wolf form.

"Seriously, how do you do that?" Yang said, almost laughing.

"Bark!" the wolf replied happily

"Hahaha!" for the first time since the burning of Herot, Yang actually felt amused. She may not have been completely recovered from the shock, but it was a start.

Meanwhile, Qrow had just landed in Herot. During his flight, he saw no sign of Yang, much to his annoyance. Although, he couldn't say he was surprised. Even from his unique vantage point, finding two people in the middle of a dense forrest is no easy task. As he approached the ruins of the city, he decided he may as well have a look around. _Maybe I can find out what Raven's up to... For once._

As he took a look around, he found his first sign of Yang, although it was far from useful. Parked in front of the destroyed inn was her motorcycle, Bumblebee. The bike was completely destroyed. _Damn, that could've been useful._

As he continued through the rubble, he couldn't help but notice a black bird perched atop the roof of one of the few buildings left standing. As soon as he made eye contact, the bird cawed out and flew off.

"What are you hiding in here, Raven?" he spoke out loud.

He entered of the building to see what Raven could possible find so important. Inside, the place was undisturbed with everything in its proper place. There were no signs that there was an attack here at all. _Weird_.

Qrow continued looking around the house until he found a book case that had been moved to the side to reveal a door. He opened the door and walked down the stairs that followed it. At the bottom of the staircase was a room that was completely bare. However, on the wall was a giant White Fang emblem that had been engraved into the wood. The only other thing there was a knife stuck to the wall holding a letter. Qrow took the letter off the wall and started to reed.

 _Qrow,_

 _As you can no doubt see, this was a White Fang base. I learned about it after tracking a couple members over the course of about a week. However, as you can see, nothing is hear now. Somehow they knew I was coming. The only sign I found of them was when Ben and his group confronted me. Someone in the tribe is feeding them information on me, and I'm not sure how many of them have turned on me. I fear I may soon lose control of them, and they will make an alliance with the White Fang. We need to find out what they're planning. I'm guessing they moved operations to a temporary camp somewhere in the forrest. If you can find that, maybe we can finally get some answers._

 _Raven_

"Ok, I guess you're being helpful now." Qrow put the letter in his pocket and headed outside. "Back to it then," he sighed. He then turned back into a bird and flew off.

Back in the forrest, two White Fang recruits were patrolling the perimeter of the base.

"I'm bored!" one of the exclaimed.

"I know Franklin! You said that a million times already!" replied the other.

"I mean who the hell would we be defending against the the middle of a forrest. No one Matthews! No one is coming."

"You mean you think that attack on Herot was a coincidence. On day, we're at the Herot base just relaxing. The next day, we're told to abandon the base to come here. And the next day, Herot is destroyed by bandits. They had to be after us. Nothing else could make sense."

"Yeah but who the hell would look for us here. I mean a city makes sense, but a forrest? Come on. Nobody's gong to find us here."

"That's what you said about Mountain Glenn!"

"That was different."

"How? How the hell is that any different?"

"Well for starters..." he started but was interrupted.

"Bark!"

"... What the hell?" Sitting in form of the two bickering recruits was a wolf with a big smile on his face. Little did they know that the wolf was Timber and that Yang was in a nearby tree ready to strike.

"Why is it just sitting there?" Matthews asked.

"I don't know. Should we do something?" replied Franklin

"Probably?"

"I guess I'll go ask the lieutenant."

"Fine, I guess I'll just stay here."

Franklin left to go see his superior leaving Matthews with the wolf.

"So what brings you out here boy?" Matthews asked in baby talk voice.

 _What a moron,_ Timber thought.

Matthews continued his one sided conversation with the wolf until Franklin could be heard coming back with the lieutenant. "It's just over here sir."

"UGGGGHHH! Why am I being bothered with this?"

"I'm telling you, guard dog! It's perfect! We won't even have to patrol anymore!"

Franklin and the lieutenant came into vier, and the lieutenant looked down at the wolf. As soon as he did, his eyes widened in realization and fear. "Oh shit!"

The wolf barred his teeth and growled at the frightened lieutenant.

"KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!" he commanded.

However it was too late. Up in the trees, Yang had seen her cue and opened fire on the two recruits with Timber launched himself at the lieutenant, sending the man flying. In a matter of seconds, the two recruits were down for the count, and Yang had come out of the tree to rejoin Timber who had changed back from his wolf form.

The lieutenant recovered quickly from the unexpected strike and readied his weapon, a chainsaw. for Timber's upcoming onslaught. Timber activated his collapsable sword and charged at the man. Yang pushed onward to take out the other, less powerful members. The lieutenant blocked Timber's attack and retaliated by swing his chainsaw down towards Timber's head. Timber rolled out of the way and got in a few quick slashes at his opponent's torso. Staggering back, the faunus lifted his saw to block again. He was completely outmatched in speed and he knew it. His only chance was to slow down Timber enough to land as big a hit as he could.

As Timber came back in for another assault, the lieutenant took a chance and reached out in desperation. He successfully managed to grab Timber by the throat and slung him to the ground. He then leapt at the wolf bringing his chainsaw down at him. A little dazed, Timber barely managed to evade the attack by rolling out of the way. The lieutenant followed his strike with another powerful attack that Timber had to roll out of the way of. Feeling more confident, the faunus continued his barrage of powerful attacks to try and keep Timber off balance. In response, Timber activated the second blade on his weapon and separated the hilt, giving him two swords. As the faunus went for another overhead strike, Timber raised his swords in an X to block the oncoming blow. As the chainsaw met his swords, the wolf forced the his opponents to the ground and used unleashed a devastating kick to the lieutenant's stomach. The kick was strong enough to send him flying back without his chainsaw. As he tried to get up, Timber landed both of his blades on the lieutenant's skull, breaking his aura and knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Yang was absolutely destroying the other White Fang members. Using her explosive dust rounds, She took out many of the faunus from a distance until a couple finally manged to get through her barrage. When they finally got close enough to attack her with swords, she threw a furious flurry of punches that they had no hope of defending against. After knocking out a dozen of them, some of the soldiers tucked tail and ran for their lives. Yang was about to go after them when they were cut off by Timber. The group of faunus put their hands up and surrendered.

Timber slowly walked up to the now prisoners of war with a smirk. "Ok, now it's time for some information. So, who's first?"

He saw the explosions from the sky. _Well I found Yang._

Qrow made his way to where the commotion was coming from and perched down on a branch, still in his bird form. He watched proudly as his niece decimated the White Fang soldiers until they retreated. When Timber made his appearance, Qrow's focus shifted to him, waiting to see what the wolf was going to do.

Timber and Yang gathered all of the fallen White Fang members together and tied them all together. Timber then went around and woke up all of the ones that had been knocked out. Once he was sure he they were all awake, he stood by Yang and gave them their options.

"Ok assholes. We're about to play the game, 'Tell Timber What the Hell the Fang is Planning or Die a Gruesome Death." Now, who goes first?" Timber addressed the White Fang with all the bravado of a game show host as he paced back and forth, spinning his blades in his hands. "Let's see here, how about you." He was now looking at a cat faunus that seemed scared out of his mind.

"I I don't know! I I swear! I just got here! Please don't kill me!" he begged.

"Hmmm, sorry, that's the wrong answer. Let's see if one of this fine gentleman next to you can help you out." He pointed one of his blades at a pig faunus that was right next to the cat.

"N N No! W We don't know anything! Th They d didn't tell us anything!"

"You know, you're really starting to piss me off!" Timber then made his way to the lieutenant, who had his head down. "You! If you want to live, then I suggest you give me something!"

"Fuck off," he grunted in response.

Timber brought one of his blades to the faunus's throat and ignited it in flames. "Do you think I'm kidding? I will burn you alive! Now ANSWER ME!"

Yang was getting very uncomfortable watching Timber go off like this. "T Timber?"

"Relax Yang," Timber said in a much calmer tone. "You may want to go check out the tent. This may get ugly."

"Y Yeah. I think that would be for the best." Yang walked into the tent and tried to ignore what was going on outside.

"Now then Lieutenant, answer me."

"You may as well kill me because I'm not telling you shit."

"Ok, fine." Timber moved to the next soldier down the line and stabbed him through the heart. The lieutenant was greatly disturbed by this, but he remained silent. Timber noticed his change in demeanor and continued making his way down the line. "See, you may be willing to die, but are you willing to let them pay for your crimes?" Timber stabbed the next soldier through the heart. "In my opinion, you're all guilty. You're all psychopaths who deserve to die." Timber now stood in front of a third potential victim who was cowering in fear, knowing he was about to die. Timber lowered his sword to his throat and continued to speak. "Tell me what I want to know, or watch me kill all your men until you're the only one left."

The lieutenant was now in shock. He couldn't believe that a man could be so merciless. He also knew that he couldn't live with himself knowing that he cost the lives of all his men. He was struggling enough with the two he had already lost. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"What is Adam planning?"

"He wants to destroy Mistral, just like he did to Vale."

"When?"

"Soon. Probably within the year."

"How? You and I both know that Adam doesn't have the numbers to take Mistral. Not when they are undoubtedly expecting it."

"He's going to kill Kahn. He's going to kill Kahn and take control of the entire White Fang."

"You really think that's enough people."

"Honestly, no. When he takes power, some brothers will no doubt leave. I even told him this. A lot of his plans are between him and the bitch in the dress."

"Cinder?"

"Yeah."

Timber turned around to think. _This doesn't make sense. Even with the full weight of the White Fang, he couldn't hope to have the numbers he would need to take Mistral. Dropping grimm into the city won't work twice. What am I missing._

A gruff voice broke the silence. _"_ I have a question." Qrow had appeared behind the line of White Fang members. "How did you know about Herot?"

The lieutenant was startled by the sudden appearance of a new voice, and Timber turned around with a confused look on his face. "Qrow?"

Qrow ignored him. "How did you know?

"We, we had an informant. Someone let us know we were coming."

"Who?" Qrow walked around the line so that he was facing the lieutenant.  
"I don't know. He didn't give a name. All I know is that he is close to Raven or at least in the tribe."

"Hmm, makes sense."

"Qrow, what are you thinking?" Timber asked.

"I believe Raven's losing control of her people. Soon enough, the tribe's going to join the White Fang." Qrow turned back to the lieutenant.

"That's you actual plan isn't it?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yes. Adam has been trying to make this alliance for years. The only thing in his way has been Raven..."

"... But if she's out of the way, you then get some of the fiercest killers in the world on your side," Qrow interpted.

"Yeah. Adam has a fascination with them. They're monsters. What they do to people... it's, it's something of nightmares." He was staring right at Timber as he finished his thought.

"I've heard enough." Timber approached the lieutenant with his blade up.

"Whatever," Qrow replied, heading towards the tent. "I'm going to go see my niece." Qrow entered the tent and saw Yang sitting in a chair, clearly shaken from what she had overheard. "Hey there fire cracker." He gave Yang a caring smile to try and calm her nerves.

"Uncle Qrow? How? What?"

"Easy now. Calm down. I'm hear now." The sounds of blade on flesh carried its way into the tent. Tiber was outside killing every White Fang member for their crimes. _I really wish he would wait to do that._

"Why did he kill those people?"

Qrow sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, that was how he was raised. Hell, that's actually how I was raised."  
"Really?"

"Yeah. Just like him, I grew up in a tribe of bandits. Me and your mom. Fortunately for me, I was able to leave that life behind. I can't say the same for others though."  
"Is that why my mom left."

"That's certainly part of it."

Yang was quietly sulking.

"Let's get you reunited with your sister."

"Ok." Yang slowly got up and went to her uncle who brought her into a loving embrace.

"It's going to be alright kid. Let's go." The uncle and niece left the tent to see Timber staring at the line of dead faunus. "Timber."

"Yeah."

"I'm taking Yang with me. I suggest you head back to Raven to let her know what's going on."

"Fine by me." He turned into a wolf and disappeared into the forrest.

Looking up at the sun, Qrow noticed it was getting late. He then looked to the trees to see a black bird. Upon seeing Qrow's gaze, the bird came down to him. Yang saw this and was confused, but a little amused.

"What the?"

"I need to send a message to Ruby. I told her I'd be back by sundown. I was kinda hoping you two would be a little closer to Mistral."

"How far away are we?"

"We can make it by lunch time tomorrow."

"Ok."

Qrow pulled out a sheet of paper, scribbled a note onto it, and tied it to the bird's leg. Without Qrow saying a word, the bird took off towards Mistral. "Alright, lets try and cover some ground before nightfall."

"Ok." Yang still had so many questions on her mind, but for now she was just happy to see a familiar face. With her uncle leading the way, Yang made her way through the forrest toward Mistral and, more importantly, her little sister.

A/N: So that's another chapter down. I'm starting to figure out where I want this thing to go. Let me know what ya'll think. Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for reading. See ya'll next chapter.


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